What's in a name

Can fish farming be considered organic? That's a question that's stumped the USDA, and one that consumers are considering for perhaps the first time. This Boston Globe article profiles a fishery in Florida that is farming "organic" shrimp. The shrimp are "bred in dark greenhouses, fed organic pellets, and raised in covered tanks with pure artesian well water," according to the article.

But is it organic? The seafood industry may help to redefine the term to mean more than just "natural" and "pesticide-free." There are currently no USDA guidelines for organic seafood, yet the agency is currently working to figure out what such guidelines should establish.

Mercury concerns have turned many consumers away from fish caught in the ocean to fish raised in farms, where a controlled environment can better guarantee the quality and safety of the seafood. (See FDA data on mercury in fish here; guidelines here.) Yet fisheries that market "wild" salmon, for example, see their product as the only true organic product; as one seafood representative told the Globe, wild salmon is "completely natural."

Consider this: is lettuce that is raised organically, without pesticides or artificial fertilizers, still be considered organic if ground water in the area is contaminated with chemical run-off from a nearby agricorporate farm? Can "wild" fish that run the risk of mercury contamination truly be considered organic? Should organic be defined as process, a state of being, or both?